"Brother Elias... your color..."
Griseo's small body trembled.
The girl could see Elias' color. As she had always imagined, it was pure white—immaculate and flawless. At first glance, that color made her heart flutter with admiration. Yet...
That pure white had become faint—almost gone.
In Griseo's vision, countless dreadful hues were covering that once-beautiful white, threatening to drown it entirely.
Those colors were heavy and chaotic, painful and dark—almost all of them the kinds of colors Griseo despised the most.
They were the colors of tragedy.
"How could this be... Brother Elias, no... you can't continue anymore. Your color—it shouldn't be like this..."
"G-Griseo..."
Elias froze, at a complete loss.
This reaction was outside his expectations. In all the previous cycles, Griseo had never responded like this, because he had always hidden it well—only showing the untainted parts of himself.
Elias: "...!!!"
A moment later, realization struck him.
His current color could no longer be concealed by the same old methods. The countless memories and emotions accumulated across ten cycles had already exceeded his limits—there was almost no white left.
And now, his true self was laid bare before Griseo's eyes.
"...I'm sorry, Griseo. Did I make you see something ugly?"
"No, that's not it! Brother Elias' color is beautiful—it's never changed! But it's fading away! You can't do this to yourself, you can't... sob..."
Tears streamed uncontrollably down Griseo's face.
She had seen his truth—Elias was carrying the entire tragedy of the Previous Era upon himself.
Alongside it came endless exhaustion, countless invisible wounds, and the crushing pressure of a journey that had gone on far too long.
Yet, this burden wasn't meaningless.
For every ounce of pain he bore, Elias had achieved equally great results—the continuously decreasing casualties of the Previous Era. His suffering had bought salvation.
But Elias could not stop yet.
Because what he desired most had yet to be reclaimed.
It was the life of a certain girl—and until he could wrest it back from the hands of fate, the white-haired youth willingly imprisoned himself in the cage called the past, the cage of the Previous Era.
If Elias himself were a painting—
Then to Griseo, it was a magnificent and awe-inspiring one, but also filled with sorrow and beauty. She had never known that her beloved big brother was so deeply scarred.
"Brother Elias, please... stop. Griseo's begging you. I don't want your color to disappear anymore," the girl pleaded, her tearful eyes trembling.
"I'm sorry, Griseo. This will be the last time."
"No! Brother Elias, your white is almost gone! That's my favorite color! You can't keep letting yourself be stained anymore!"
Griseo shook her head desperately. She didn't understand what Elias meant by the last time, but she could see his color continuing to fade even as they spoke.
The normally calm, emotionless girl was now crying uncontrollably. Because she could see it—Elias was using his own color as a canvas, painting upon it all the world's tragedies.
"Tell me, Griseo—what's happening? What's wrong with Elias?" Mobius demanded urgently.
"Uuu... Grandma Mobius, Brother Elias... he's sacrificing his own color..."
"I don't understand. What do you mean? Explain clearly. Elias, you... what have you done to yourself again?" Mobius asked sharply, eyes locked on him.
"..."
Elias remained silent for a long moment. He couldn't reveal the truth about the cycles—such an option had never even crossed his mind. He was stubborn, proud, and unyielding to the end.
Elias had always planned that once everything was over—once he had written the perfect ending to this story—he would erase the cycles, erase the weight he had carried, and act as if none of it had ever existed. He would never tell anyone.
But now, a small girl had peeled away part of that secret.
"I'm sorry, Griseo... just wait a little longer, okay? I'll return to my original color, you can see it, right? The other colors are only sticking to me—I haven't lost my true color. When everything's over, I'll wash them all away."
Elias knelt down and gently embraced the trembling girl.
"Really? Brother Elias, your color can really go back to how it was?" Griseo asked tearfully.
"Of course it can. What's this? Do you not believe in me anymore?"
"N-no! Griseo believes you!"
Griseo shook her head firmly.
The only thought running through her mind was—if Elias' color couldn't return, she would repaint it herself.
No matter what, she would help him preserve that color—she wouldn't allow the world's tragedies to taint it any further.
"Thank you, Griseo. I like you the most," Elias said softly, patting her head.
"But I'm sorry for making you cry. Heh~ I actually made such a cute girl cry... maybe I deserve to be thrown in jail by the police."
"No! Brother Elias has done so many good things—I won't let anyone hurt you! Oh! Grandma Mobius, do you have any medicine that can make people grow up faster?"
"Huh? Medicine to make people grow up faster?"
"Mm! Brother Elias is always the one protecting everyone, but no one can protect him! So Griseo wants to grow up quickly—to protect Brother Elias!"
Griseo declared resolutely, clutching her paintbrush as if it were a lightsaber, standing before the white-haired boy like a little knight.
Elias felt his heart melt completely. He rubbed his cheek against hers, moved beyond words. He had always been the one protecting others—but now, this adorable girl wanted to protect him.
In that instant, his affection for Griseo skyrocketed—like a rocket launch straight to the stars.
"Mobius doesn't have that kind of medicine. If I did, I'd have taken it myself long ago. But I'll wait for little Griseo to grow up. I'll look forward to the day you protect me... but for now, let me protect you instead."
"No! Brother Elias needs rest! You're so, so tired—please, go get some sleep!"
Griseo's voice was firm.
Now, she was the second person—after Elysia—who could see through Elias' façade. Her enhanced perception, amplified by Honkai genes, allowed her to glimpse the deep exhaustion hidden behind his smile.
Griseo didn't know how to describe it—but it was a fatigue far greater than anything physical, far deeper than even Klein's after a month of nonstop work. It was exhaustion of the soul.
"Sleep now? Uh, but..."
"If Brother Elias doesn't rest, then... then I won't talk to you for an entire day—no, half a day! Oh! Maybe you'll sleep better with a lap pillow? Griseo will give you one!"
"Ah, um..."
"You always let me nap on your lap, so let me do it this time! Wait right here—I'll grab a blanket! Brother Elias, you'd better come over soon!"
With that, Griseo hurried outside. Her art studio was nearby—whenever she grew tired from painting, she would curl up under a blanket and nap on Elias' lap.
As soon as she left, only two people remained in the room.
"..."
"..."
Elias turned his head away, avoiding Mobius' gaze. Her expression had turned dark—dangerously dark.
"Would you care to explain what exactly Griseo meant by that, Elias?"
"Ahem, Mobius, you know me. I don't want to lie to you, so... please, don't ask, alright? I'll take care of everything—really."
"I don't believe a damn word of that! Spit it out—everything you've been hiding! Elias, you reckless idiot who always insists on doing things alone! If it weren't for Griseo today, I'd still have no idea—"
Mobius grabbed Elias by the collar, her expression pained.
All she could feel now was an overwhelming sense of humiliation.
She kept berating herself inwardly. How could I not have noticed all this time? How could I have missed what he's been hiding? Why didn't I do more for him?
"Don't blame yourself, Mobius. This isn't your fault. If anyone's to blame, it's me—for hiding it too well," Elias said gently, having already seen through her guilt.
"Do you call that comfort?! And you still don't plan to come clean, do you? Can't you rely on us a little more? What do you even see us as?"
Mobius clenched her teeth, her voice trembling between anger and heartbreak.
"What do I see you as? The people I love," Elias answered without hesitation.
"..."
Mobius froze completely.
Elias pressed a hand to his chest, meeting the serpent's emerald eyes as he continued.
"You're all more important to me than my own life. I once said that Ely was the reason I learned to love this world... but now, Mobius, that's true for you too."
"Elias, you—"
"And of course, there's Griseo, Sakura, Mei, Eden, Pardofelis—"
"Stop! Those extra names are unnecessary!"
Watching him count on his fingers, Mobius twitched and cut him off. Elias only smiled faintly and said,
"The truth is, I already rely on everyone a lot. Without all of you, I'd never have made it this far. And right now, I'm doing something only I can do. So... just give me a little more time, alright, Mobius?"
"Elias, you really are—!"
Mobius could only sigh helplessly. For the first time, she almost wished this man didn't care about her so deeply—because when it came to those he loved, Elias would never let them see his pain. Even if he were covered in scars, he'd still pretend to be fine.
"Then it's settled. I'll take that as your agreement."
"Huh?! Who said I agreed—wait!"
"Not waiting~ Griseo's still waiting for me to sleep, you know~"
With that, Elias turned and walked toward the door, leaving Mobius behind in exasperated silence.